Although the system of paved roads in many places throughout the world is excellent, there are still many areas that are remote or where the lack of paved roads makes access difficult. In these remote areas, events may take place or circumstances exist that require retrieval of people or cargo.
So-called “all terrain vehicles” are designed to travel over uneven surfaces and rough ground, usually for those engaged in hunting or fishing to get to areas where these sports can be enjoyed. These vehicles are well suited to travel where needed. However, they are not always equipped for accomplishing tasks other than to carry people and cargo for recreational uses.
For example, not all fires that threaten life and property occur in urban areas where roads lead to a convenient spot for deploying fire-fighting equipment and tapping into a municipal water supply. Fires often occur in remote, rugged areas where water for dousing the fire might be in short supply. To make matters worse, because many of these areas are covered with vegetation and trees, there will be no shortage of fuel for the fire. Consequently, some of the most destructive fires—forest fires and brush fires—occur or begin in remote areas.
These fires are fought in a variety of ways, usually by attempting to remove fuel from the fire's path with earth-moving equipment or by dousing the fire with water or fire retardant carried by transport planes or helicopters. Establishing a fire break takes time; sometimes the fire must be extinguished or at least controlled until a fire break can be established. Under these circumstances, fires are fought by individuals on foot carrying tanks of water on their backs. Water, of course, cools the fuel below its ignition temperature. By adding a foaming agent to the water, the resulting foam suffocates the fire and makes better use of the water. However, it may require a large number of tanks and many trips on foot over rugged ground to secure control over a fire. There remains a need for a more effective way to control fires in remote areas.
In addition, many public safety departments, including fire and police departments, conduct search and rescue operations in areas that are not suitable for automotive traffic, or they provide emergency medical service to those far from a paved road. In such instances, it may not be possible to transport medical equipment or rescue equipment to specific locations by ambulance because of the terrain. In the past, the equipment had to be carried to the injured individual by the search and rescue personnel, who then had to carry the injured party back out. Consequently, there is a need for a more effective way to transport equipment and personnel over areas having rough terrain and for transporting injured persons.
Still another example is in removing dangerous or hazardous cargo from remote areas. Sometimes hazardous wastes are found in remote areas, areas where those wastes were dumped years before. Often the ground near such wastes is soft, muddy or overgrown with vegetation. Recovery of the drummed waste can be difficult. Large-scale construction equipment such as crawler tractor cranes can be brought to such a location to remove the wastes, however, in some cases, this kind of equipment may do more harm than good because of size and relative lack of maneuverability.